MONTAGUE — In-person classes in the Gill-Montague Regional School District have been ruled out at least through the end of 2020, due to a recent spike in local rates of COVID-19.
In an email sent over the weekend to school families and staff members, Superintendent Brian Beck said the schools will not consider transitioning students to in-person classes before the holiday break. He cited increased rates of COVID-19 in Montague, which the state Department of Public Health recently labeled a “red” zone — the most severe designation the department assigns in its pandemic tracking.
“Right now, the data indicating high rates of community transmission is the primary factor preventing us from restarting in-person learning,” Beck said.
Gill-Montague had previously been working toward gradually transitioning small groups of students to in-person classes. The district had started the year in a fully remote model, and in October began offering in-person classes for students with special educational needs, or other qualifications that might make in-person instruction especially urgent.
But the effort was derailed in mid-November, when someone with a connection to the schools tested positive for the virus. The schools did not publicize identifying information of this person or what their connection to the schools was. The district has remained in a fully remote model since then.
Meanwhile, the school district has been working through an audit of each building’s ventilation systems, which has been cited by Beck and the School Committee as a key factor in determining whether in-person classes can be held safely.
Rates of COVID-19 have increased drastically in Franklin County in recent weeks. The state Department of Public Health releases statewide data every two weeks: the most recent data, released Dec. 10, covers the period from Nov. 22 to Dec. 5.
According to the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the number of confirmed cases in Franklin County more than doubled in the most recent data compared to the previous period, from 95 cases to 201.
Montague and Greenfield both closed their town government offices to the public after the latest data was released. Montague is reported by the Department of Public Health to have had 33 cases in the latest 14-day period, and has been designated “red,” the most severe level of outbreak. Greenfield had 68 cases in the most recent period, but is designated “yellow” (the second most severe level) due to its larger population.
“That, for us, was a signal that it’s time to make certain we are taking extra precautions,” said Montague Town Administrator Steve Ellis. “We both (Montague and Greenfield) saw the reality of the situation as it’s developing.”
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.